Israeli Labor Party Chief to Meet Blair in London: Radio

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, January 09, 2003

Israeli Labor Party Chief to Meet Blair in London: Radio

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Amram Mitzna, chairman of the Israeli Labor Party, is due to leave for London on Thursday morning for a meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair on the party's peace initiative, according to Israel Radio on Wednesday evening.

During the visit, the rising politician is expected to interpretBlair the peace plan, which is focus on a unilateral withdrawal from most of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and a political negotiation with the Palestinians.

Mitzna will also meet with leaders of Jewish communities, in an attempt to get more overseas support for him and his Labor Party ahead of the general elections, which is scheduled on Jan. 28.

The latest public opinion poll, conducted Wednesday by the mainstream Ha'aretz Daily, showed that the Labor Party would get 24parliamentary seats during the oncoming elections, shortening previous difference with the Likud Party led by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The Likud, according to the poll, would get 27 parliamentary seats, down at least 8 seats from a previous poll, mainly due to the party's troubled bribery scandals, in which Sharon was alleged to receive 1.5 million US dollars from a South African businessman in November 2002.

The Mitzna's visit also comes days ahead of a planned Britain-sponsored international conference, which is designed for discussing the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) reform and the violent conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

Blair has invited the international mediating group of Quartet, namely the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia, as well as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and PNA delegates to the conference.

The Israeli side, however, was not on the invitation list because the British government said the conference would take placetoo close to the Israeli election.

Hours after two deadly suicide bombing attacks in Tel Aviv Sunday evening, the Israeli cabinet decided to prevent the Palestinians from attending the London conference, as part of retaliation for the Tel Aviv attacks, which claimed 23 lives.

The British side, obviously being rusty at the sudden decision, has to call on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to allow the PNAdelegates to participate in the conference.

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